The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
The electronics industry uses radio frequency (RF) plasma to fabricate various components such as integrated circuits, compact disks (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), and the like. Generally the RF plasma process is monitored and controlled by a closed loop control system.
RF plasma control systems measure one or more parameters of RF power that is applied to a plasma chamber. A plasma controller repeatedly adjusts the parameters based on the measurements and a control algorithm. In multipoint applications the measurements are taken at more than one location in the RF power path and it can be challenging to synchronize or time-correlate the measurements from the various locations.
The communications industry also uses RF energy to allow devices and people to wirelessly communicate and pass information between different locations. Radio communication sites may include radio transmitters, receivers, antennas, and the like. They may also include test and /or monitoring equipment to ensure that the radio communication sites are functioning properly and in accordance with government regulations and/or industry standards.
The test and /or monitoring equipment can measure RF system parameters at more than one location in the RF path of a particular station. While the parameters may be used to ensure the system is functioning properly, it can be challenging to synchronize or time-correlate the parameter measurements from the various locations.